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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tear — to rip
  3. track — a song
  4. cell — in biology
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — army training
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kick — in football
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. track — a path

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com